User Innovation Center (UIC)

Information center, cooperation partner, teaching and research laboratory for prospective students, students and companies in the field of digitalization

The "User Innovation Center", funded by Fachhochschule Dortmund, has been created as a link between teaching, research and Business Studies. It offers space for information, innovation and co-production in the field of digitalization.

The digital penetration of almost all areas of people's work and lives makes it necessary to have a central and flexible facility that can adapt quickly to evolving technologies. This is particularly noticeable in teaching, as it is based on the latest technical and methodological standards. Due to the high level of trans- and interdisciplinary connections in digitization, it is difficult for the various faculties with their decentralized special laboratories and teaching formats. This is where the UIC offers the space to drive digitization across disciplines.

The UIC is based on four pillars in all areas: Inform, Innovate, Co-produce and Evaluate. The information pillar disseminates the results of research projects and student work, preferably through executable prototypes or video films and flyers. This serves as the first point of contact for students, research-oriented people and companies alike. A large network enables an exchange between the disciplines and unites all areas. The innovation pillar offers the opportunity to develop tailor-made solutions and drive them forward in creative transdisciplinary teams. Agile methods are used to achieve the shortest possible development cycles and leave plenty of room for new ideas. The co-production pillar combines research and Business Studies. Here, hardware and software solutions are brought together and developed using visual methods. This close integration with the innovation pillar brings the idea directly to a prototype, which can be tested and evaluated immediately. The evaluation pillar deals with the challenge of examining and validating the prototypes for their usability and user acceptance.

Furthermore, there is a workshop framework that is closely linked to the 4 pillars in order to support companies with digitalization, provide advice or jointly develop a strategy. As digitalization opens up many new business areas that usually remain untapped, additional business areas are being sought through co-productions with companies, identified using scientific methods and the results secured.